Wednesday, December 10, 2008

MACARONS WITH CHOCOLATE & PB GANACHE

Although, I have proven to be a daring bakers in every sense of the term, the thought of making Macarons always filled me with immense apprehension. The only thought of baking that traditional French pastry scared me to the highest point...

Thankfully, my friend Jessica (see older post) from Baltimore (Maryland) asked if we could get together in order to bake Macarons. My answer was, of course, yes. What an opportunity! I was finally going to overcome my unexplainable fears of that cute little speciality!

So, last Thursday afternoon, Jessica came to my place and we baked a batch of Macarons, according to a trustworthy recipe (see post) I found on Helen's at the wonderful blog "Tartelette" (USA).

The recipe wasn't very difficult, although, at some point, we had to make Italian meringue. We went through the whole process like real pros of the whisk. The end result was quite satisfying (apart from a few cracked shells), especially if you consider that it was the very first time that we made this much mythologized speciality...

Those "Macaron With Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ganache" are fantastic! Their outside is crisp and their inside ever so smooth and tender. Taste-wise, they are just delightful. Those heavenly sugar cookies are just too addictive!

Method for the "Macarons":1. In a stand mixer or with the help of a handmixer, whip 60g egg whites to soft peaks.2. Add 35g cristallized sugar.3. In the meantime, in a saucepan on high heat bring the water and sugar for the syrup to 110° C (230° F).4. Slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on medium-high speed until they are completely cooled and you have a shiny meringue, about 10-15 minutes.5. Mix together the remaining 60g egg whites and the sifted almond/powder sugar and carefully fold into the meringue.6. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the mixture and pipe macarons about 3cm (1.2 inches) in diameter on parchment paper lined baking sheet (see remarks).7. Bake at 150° C (302° F) for 13-14 minutes.8. Let cool.

Method for the "Chocolate Ganache":9. Put all ingredients in a pan, over low heat.10. Stir until you get a homogenous ganache.11. Let cool and put in the refrigerator until smooth enough to spread.Method for the "Peanut Butter Ganache":12. Mix together both ingredients.Method for "Assembling The Macarons":13. Fill a pastry bag with the ganache and layer your macarons with it.14. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Remarks:Before you sift you ground almonds and powder suger, I recommend you to blend them together in a standmixer.Once you have piped the macarons, you can let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, if desired. This is often done to assure those little feet at the bottom.Generally, the macarons are better when eaten the next day as their texture improves and so does their taste.

Serving suggestions:Eat with a cup of tea or coffee.You can also decorate your cakes with those pretty macarons.

WOW! Rosa, you risked it! I too am so scared of macarons... and am waiting for perfect timing to battle them! LOL

I'm sooooo envious yours turned out to be perfect! Really, like you say... in all senses of the term: peanut butter, caramel, chocolate and almonds in a beautiful and soft shell sandwich... I'm amazed!

Wow, super fabulous, Rosa!I can not believe that this was your first attempt! And you made the more challenging macarons by using the Italian meringue. I am really impress! I am also very proud of you, because you have proven (again) to me that you are indeed a very good and very talented baker.

ok I admit I never made macarons ... much like you the very though sent shivers down my wire whisk ... well I guess its reassuring to find others have the same fear! I dont have your culinary talents but you do encourage me to try it! So I'll now ask Santa for a sugar thermometer and I'll let you know the result! (now I know what to ask from santa's! )